If life was a horror story, this is where side characters should absolutely, absolutely not look back.

  Curiosity kills the cat, a turn brings death.

  Even if the author wasn’t ready to sentence a character like him to death, just imagining the jump scares almost made Bubai jump out of his skin!

  Hold up Merlin, calm down. Calm down...

  He wasn't an ordinary person. He was a cultivator for heaven’s sake!

  There was no need to be frightened over this sort of thing that had become an all-too-familiar game.

  This antic… it must be her!

  Certain it was the mischievous fairy clowning around again, Bubai steadied his breath and turned with confidence, fully expecting to see her…

  But behind him—nothing.

  Just the empty pavilion and its shadows slithering around the eerie moonlight.

  The shivers involuntarily came.

  At this point, a mortal would try to brush it off with a "must be the wind", but Bubai’s sharpened senses weren’t so easily deceived.

  The tap on his shoulders wasn’t a figment of his imagination.

  Someone... or something’s definitely here messing with him!

  Bubai’s eyes narrowed. Flight or fight?

  If he can run, obviously he’ll...

  Just when the thought crossed Bubai’s mind, a pair of hands attacked his eyes out from nowhere!

  Darkness reigned supreme and his breath hitched!

  "Guess who~ fufufu~"

  The playful, singsong whisper teased his ears. A familiar voice, a familiar tone.

  His heart, which had leapt to his throat, settled back into its rhythm, and the Evil Banishment talisman in his hand vanished back up his sleeves.

  "Under the silken veil of night, it can only be the moon that stole my breath."

  "Hum. Hum."

  The hands sealing his eyes withdrew, and the cheery fairy-like beauty spun around to his side.

  “Fufufu, did this fairy keep fairy brother waiting?”

  "Not at all." Bubai blinked, inspecting the youthful beauty with silver hair glinting like spun moonlight.

  The world around them, himself included, was blessed by the otherworldly blue hue, but this fairy still looked the same, as if untouched by the blue moon’s soft caress.

  This little oddity sparked a few speculations in his mind, but those stray thoughts were quickly brushed aside by the unladylike fairy squatting down and pointing his attention to his waist.

  "Hum? Fairy brother got a new storage pouch?"

  Bubai glanced at what she was pointing at. It was his new high-grade pouch.

  "Yes, Elder Ma bestowed it to me earlier today."

  "Hum, no wonder."

  Sensing more behind her words, Bubai raised an eyebrow. "Is there a problem?"

  Those starry eyes gazing up at him twinkled.

  "Hum, not a big deal. Just some high-grade positioning runes and the like. Seems granny isn’t the only one keeping an eye on fairy brother."

  Ah… another tracker. Bubai sighed inside. Well, he had half expected it.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Old schemers like that Ma Pei really won’t do anything less than sending out a Trojan horse.

  Below him, Shu Ling gave his two storage pouches a few pokes. "Fairy brother, need help getting rid of it?"

  Another deal was placed on the table. Bubai knew the game well enough by this point.

  If there was a need, then the transaction can proceed, but...

  Removing the tracker was similar to removing the spiritual brand on the sun scorpion implanted in his heart.

  Doing these will only alert the old geezer Ma Pei. It was best to just keep them.

  The downside was that he needs to be more mindful of every step he takes in the future because there was another old timer tracking his real-time location.

  Uh... look on the bright side. At least this pouch wasn’t permanently attached to his waist like a certain granny’s ever-present bracelet.

  If put to proper use, this little variable could be a good prop for misdirection.

  In this case, there was no need to pay extra to ruin this useful tool.

  So, Bubai waved her naughty hand off. "No need. Just some small sacrifices for the bigger picture."

  The rejected Shu Ling pouted. "Humph, fairy brother’s starting to sound a lot like granny, always going on about the bigger picture."

  A chuckle escaped Bubai.

  "How could my inexperienced self ever compare to the wise granny? I’m just waiting to see which way the wind blows, and riding along with it at most."

  "Whatever." Shu Ling rolled her eyes and hopped back up.

  After giving her silver bun a pat, she winked at him. "Ahum. If fairy brother ever needs help, remember, this fairy’s just a call away."

  "Will do." Bubai nodded, grateful for the offer even while knowing full well what ‘help’ from her could entail.

  “Fufufu~” Her laughter like the chiming of bells marked the progression into the next phase of their game.

  The beauty slipped behind him and shoved the unmovable block of wood toward the stone seat.

  "Fairy brother, enough standing around. Go, go~ Have a seat, the night is still long."

  Bubai let himself sink onto the cool stone.

  While adjusting himself, he watched the silver butterfly flutter to the other side.

  After plopping herself down, the prim and proper lady’s hypnotic eyes then bore into him, unblinking, like a cat watching a mouse.

  It didn’t take a genius to see this mischievous fairy wanted something.

  Unable to put his fingers on exactly what, Bubai probed, "Fairy, tonight you called me out for…?"

  "To celebrate the Blue Moon, of course."

  Innocent charm was written on her face, but… was it really so simple?

  A late night meetup of a lone beauty and man at a place where even birds don’t chirp...

  Bubai wasn’t the type to stuff his dirty mind full of indecent thoughts, but it was clear there was more here than just a ‘celebration’.

  Unfortunately, tonight was really a terrible time for him to get involved in any transactions that were too... in-depth.

  So, Bubai played the fool and met the fairy’s innocent stare with his own clueless face.

  After playing stare eyes for a few rounds, Shu Ling finally pouted and broke the silence.

  “Fairy brother, don’t you think we ought to have something to drink?”

  Drink?! Bubai’s thoughts immediately flashed back to the kind of ‘drinks’ this fairy liked when they were together.

  Uh… it better not be drinking his- ahem.

  Shoving aside the dirty thoughts, Bubai flipped his mind sunny side up.

  Indeed… it was more receptive to have something to drink while gazing at the beautiful moon. But what to drink?

  Plain water? Far too cheap.

  Wine? Absolutely out of the question. He needed his wits sharp tonight in case anything went awry.

  Juice? There were no fresh fruits around except for the fruits on her peak- Ahem.

  Milk wasn’t an option there either, which left him with one last option…

  Bubai suddenly recalled the little note left by the fairy during her appraisal service.

  The memory guided his consciousness to search the shelves in his storage space, quickly finding a herb box labeled “Ember Petal Herb” in the medicinal goods section.

  A flip of his hand summoned the box in his palm.

  When he opened it, the faint aroma of the dried petals within drifted out, causing the fairy’s eyes to sparkle like stars.

  "Hum, hum~ Fairy brother indeed knows how to read this fairy’s heart."

  Knowing he had nailed the correct choice, Bubai couldn’t help but smile.

  A wave of his hand brought out a small clay tea stove followed by a modest ceramic tea set.

  Meeting the expectant eyes of the fairy, Bubai politely invited, "Fairy, my brewing skills are far from refined. Will you do the honors?"

  Leaning onto the table, Shu Ling propped her chin on her delicate hand.

  "No matter what fairy brother brews, this fairy will drink it gladly. So, let this fairy take a look... just how skilled fairy brother is."

  Her voice had that familiar teasing lilt to it, and he felt her bare foot suggestively rubbing its way up his leg under the table.

  Yet, Bubai nonchalantly set up the tea stove.

  A stream of water was drawn out from thin air to fill the teapot two-thirds of the way.

  Another snap of his fingers sparked a flame to ignite the stove.

  Once the stove got going, Bubai finally had time to deal with the naughty foot warming up his special tea brewer.

  "Fairy, patience can make tea taste all the better."

  Feeling the ticklish massage on her outstretched leg, Shu Ling withdrew her foot with a soft sigh.

  "Fu~ And fairy brother says he isn’t well-versed in brewing tea. Lies. This fairy wonders just how many cups of green tea fairy brother has tasted."

  Uh… the tea she spoke of… probably wasn’t the typical sort found in cups. Ahem.

  Bubai awkwardly cleared his throat and turned his gaze to the moon.

  "Walking by the river, how can my shoes not get wet? I hope fairy understands."

  Shu Ling rolled her eyes. "Humph, this fairy isn’t so petty to be bothered by those little side houses of yours."

  Bubai simply smiled. "The fairy’s heart is as generous as the moon’s glow."

  "Less of those sweet words. This fairy isn’t a three-year-old child..."

  "Hum. This fairy just hopes fairy brother doesn’t grow too comfortable with them. If fairy brother gets trapped too deep, don’t expect granny to save you."

  Shu Ling’s gaze flicked to his storage pouch, as if referencing the many secrets he held.

  She then conjured a book in her hand, leaving Bubai to soak in her warning on his own.